2025, Uncategorized, work

Wrapping It Up

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On Monday I let my administrators know that October 3rd will be my last day of work. I have been gradually reducing my work load. I conducted my last two psychological evaluations last week, and now my main tasks are to write up the reports for those and three other evaluations I conducted in August. I stopped seeing clients in March.

I wanted to be a psychologist and play therapist since I was 12 years old. I was able to do a huge amount of testing for all sorts of issues for clients through the lifespan, and learned how to use a plethora of different tests. I had a wonderful play therapy room and also did family therapy and individual therapy with children, teens, and adults.

I was quite calm and happy as I finished my last testing session last week. I love to do evaluations, but I am ready to not do them anymore. I will miss doing play therapy with preschoolers, but I won’t miss picking up the toys. (It is a cardinal rule that the therapist, not the child, picks up the toys after each session.)

It has been a good run. I am very proud and satisfied with my professional life, but ready to move on.

If you are retired, what do you miss the most from your old jobs? What do you miss the least? What age children are the most fun for you to be around?

33 thoughts on “Wrapping It Up”

  1. Setting up group learning and guiding it & leading discussions, real discussion, not what most teachers call discussion. Least was correct writing. Very important but wore me out.
    4-6 year olds. I would love watching senior high age students but I never see them.

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    1. I remember being really annoying when I turned 13 years old. I was just thrilled to be a teenager, and when I look back I was so obnoxious. My childhood friends tell me that when I was that age I would “campaign” for various priveleges.

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  4. The question about kids prompts a reality check for me.
    As a 72 years old fat man living in a neighborhood that houses multiple sex offenders (Those sheriff warning cards come about every 6 months)
    I’ve been very circumspect in interactions with kids. I’ve always liked kids 4 to 14.
    A few days ago, one of the neighbor girls (about 10) approached me outside as I was coming home and asked if I wanted to have a kitten. They have six living under a outdoor garage. I told her no. I like cats but can’t have one with The Birds. But I almost took in a pet Chinese mantis. I showed her a picture of it from my phone and pointed over to where I’d put the insect outside. Her Dad came over from around the house and I showed him the picture. They left. “Come inside now, Amy.”
    The whole episode lasted maybe three minutes but I felt like an idiot.
    What an evil world that makes me mind read what parents think about me!

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  6. Rise and RETIRE, Baboons,

    Congratulations, Renee, on a long and productive career. You deserve many kudos.

    I miss some of my clients. Many of them were great people with difficult conditions or problems that responded well to therapy. There are several who I run into around town. I enjoy that. I also miss my co-workers and the productive relationships I had with them. Two of my interns actually took my job and I was so pleased about that. Next Tuesday I will go eat lunch with them.

    I don’t miss the daily obligations of a job. The retirement thing is really nice. Especially when I get paid for it.

    Today I am making wild grape jelly.

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  8. I knew when I retired I had this ahead of me, taking care of Sandra. I did not expect my body to be so broken down.
    We don’t have any offenders in our neighborhood but I am very cautious around children. Two Muslim families in this building have small children. Because they go by my apartment to go to the garage, I encounter them every now and then, the mothers and the children. The mothers are very friendly, so the children are. These encounters brighten my day. The mothers have no accent. The children often show me their toys. But I am still cautious.

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  10. I’m gonna miss the people. I say I still miss the cows’ personalities.
    After a few years here, I had a goal to outlast several employee’s. I’ve managed that. And more.
    On the other hand, just last week I met someone who is one of those bubbly, friendly people you just immediately are attracted too. And Wednesday she told me she had resigned. Family needs. And I felt bad; I gave her my card and email and cell phone and said I wanted to be her friend. And I’m sorry it took this long for us to become friends.

    Some of the college age kids are fun. Some… aren’t.
    Middle school. Eh. Blessing on those teachers. It’s just such a whole other mindset dealing with them.

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  11. Congrats on coming into home plate, Renee! I’m sure they’re going to miss you.

    From my 4-year teaching career, I missed the little personalities, and reading to them, some of the art projects.

    From the office admin job, I missed the people, the retreats, the problem-solving together. One or two projects, when I was given free reign to organize something.

    Bookselling – just learning about all the books, and being able to handle them, keep track of the books. I get to do that soon, as our UU Book Sale is coming right up, on October 4.

    What I miss least is the deadlines sometimes, pressure (often my own) to try and make everything perfect.

    I do like the little kids, 10 and under – most of them will still be pretty honest with you.

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  12. I’ve waffled all day about giving my knee-jerk snark reaction (“nothing”) to a more sincere answer. Decided to go with sincere.

    I had never given a moment’s thought to retirement until May 1, 2020, the first day I was furloughed. Luckily I got enough of a salary from BIW that I was able to survive without having to find some kind of job during pandemic. I had nine months to sit with not working and think about it. And to think about the possibilities. The day my boss called me in January 2021, I was absolutely sure she was going to hand over my pink slip. When she offered me half time, I was actually a smidge disappointed. Anyway, it turned out to be a great gift to be furloughed. I worked half time for 9 more months and then full time for another 8 months before I officially retired.

    Honestly, I don’t miss anything about working. My closest friends over the years had all left at that point, so I can’t even say I miss the folks. Meetings – nah. Clients – nah. Trying to placate management – nah. I know several folks who really had to deal with the travel being over when they retired and I wondered if that would be the case with me, but it is not. I am SO SO SO lucky to have traveled all over the globe over the years, and very nice travel it was, as well. Although if someone planted some cash on me, I would certainly take a trip — I’m OK without.

    So with reflection, I guess I’m still the poster child for being retired!

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  14. I was sorting through the tower of papers that piled up recently re Sandra and a few for me. Much of it is waste but I have to sort out which need to be kept, which need to recycled, and which shredded. After two hours I got sloppy and almost shredded a $232 refund check I had no idea I was getting.

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  15. Congratulations, Renee, on a job well done. When you and Chris leave the town of Dickinson and the state of North Dakota you’ll leave a big void. Not only will your professional shoes be hard to fill, but your involvement in your church choir, hand bell music, and vegetable gardening affect a much broader community. I hope your retirement and new in home in Luverne will be everything that you hope for.

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    1. i dont question it at all. renee will be able to find a welcome and vast community
      vonnegut once commented if you had access to all the people who share you interests life would be soooo pleasant . not possible in 1970 today google, meetup, and various other avenues are there to make it possible in weeks not years. even in luverne ill bet… i hope

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  16. i miss travel and interactions at each stop. i really like people and ill never be at a shortage of people to chat with
    kids. love the one youre with. grandkids today are 7 almost 5 and 3 two days ago . twins are 11 months and raised in an odd protective enviornment. im not anti protective but on the loosey goosey side. i am careful interacting with kids at costco but just a little. i still make eye contact and follow their lead. a smile even in the eyes is always welcome moms too snd grandmas and surprisingly grandpas and maga dads even though i am fairly obviously on the other side. when it come to smiles i think thats where we begin. nobody mentions politics when you are smiling about life.
    i have a cousin who altered his brain with an anurism and he likes to bitch but last time we talked i started it snd i could tell i spoiled his day. i apoligized and promised next time i would bring pleasant conversation.
    i know how to do that.
    i get messed up on ages because is 7 going on 26 with an iq through the roof that need to be steered around to let him enjoy the moment. he has my social skills. denver is almost 5 and his autisim leaves him verbally challanged but hes been doing therapy since 2 and is making notable improvments but knows hes got shit to deal with. luca is 3 and doesnt talk due to his home social example of non verbal older brother best friend. my daughter comments when he does something like playing family with dolls or vacuming with the little flashlight sized vacuum they have.
    i almost never see the twins one goes for it and one is very tentative. kids are born with complete identities. no sense trying to steer. just celebrate. true of folks in general.
    im concerned about most everyone except me and you and i often have questions about you.

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